If you want to be embrace chaos, chew it up, spit it out and piss green recycled chaos . . .then read on . . .

After the last 30 years of doing it, doing it and, errrr, doing it:

Teaching at Columbia College Chicago since 2003, writing a textbook, developing the new marketing program and the indie label program, celebrating the 20th anniversary of my label, visiting around 80 arts and media management schools around the world. . . everything just seemed OBVIOUS.

why traditional academia doesn’t work

There is a real problem in trying to teach in a rapidly changing field. . ..First of all, unless you are IN IT you have to wait for changes to be assimilated, documented and passed on. The possibilities for mis-interpretation, editing and coloring by
subjective opinions give this informational stream the validity of an overview of the economic climate by Paris Hilton. EVEN with the best of intentions, academia is an oil tanker. (Note: It takes the average supertanker miles to make a turn).

Entrepreneurial activity takes place on a speedboat, blindfolded, juggling live chickens, a chainsaw and two flaming strawberry Daiquiris. . ..on a skateboard.

how did this idea start?

Increasingly, my businesses at R3 have become a learning platform for interns from Columbia, DePaul, IIT and various universities. We have taken time to sit students down and educate them during this process. . ..giving them responsibilities
in the fields of engineering, video production, sound library creation, screen printing, record label, promotions, booking and the book publishing.

why is R3 different?

It seems to me that if I had the choice between a four year education followed by applying for an unpaid internship (because that is what most of these businesses comprise of – apprentice style opportunities to work with a ‘master’ for several
years), I’d be very nervous about losing the immersion time in my chosen field. Each incremental academic step forward could be two steps back in the real world – one in lost experience and one in the fact that each year another crop of graduates has hit the pavement looking for an opportunity. IF we can collapse all of this into ONE meaningful opportunity then we will be providing some very large benefits (indeed a UNIQUE skill set) that will be massive in terms of its impact on the potential for these graduates to truly make their mark wherever they choose. It’s not about fitting in anymore – it’s about creating your own
opportunities. That’s all I have ever done. Unfortunately, I have seen more students of the traditional model falling into accepted patterns of looking for more and more academic guidelines and instructions to follow in a world
that doesn’t come with any.

who should enroll?

R3 isn’t for everyone, (which is great because we are limiting the intake on the program to 15). It’s going to be VERY different. I reserve the right to fire a student – there’s no time for slackers (and yes, you will get your $ back)

I’m inviting everyone to have a role in this.Each class itself will be continually re-evaluated as we proceed. It’s staggering to me that anyone anywhere is still offering classes in Journalism? Where are the jobs? What’s the point? At least here, one of the things we will be looking at are the possibilities of multi-disciplinary cross pollination. For instance, my last label manager worked on the Obama campaign and is now involved in the mayoral race in Pittsburgh. We’ll be further analyzing and incubating those possibilities.

the first set of students will have the opportunity to:

build a studio
create sounds for a new drum library with Drum Core
book shows
edit video
mix sounds
work on real publicity campaigns
takeover a music publishing company
begin running a real record label
create a benefit cd for a club in Wisconsin
edit video from China
coordinate the publishing of a book
screen-print
coordinate a gallery opening in Baltimore
explore the origins of Dub
suggest and create classes and be as involved as they want in whatever else is going on here.
what do I get at the end?

Oh, and what about the important piece of paper at the end of all this? I don’t think it’s that important anymore. Simple Googling will fill your screen with horror stories of very well papered individuals still looking for employment years after graduating. So, we’re going to brand our graduates instead. . .. . .ahhhh wake up and smell the students’ burning flesh! Now, there’s a new Hallmark card already. . …see how this works??

details, details. . .

What are all the details, well, I don’t know them all yet. Am I worried? Well, of course. I’m worried about everything except whether we can we provide an unbelievably useful, powerful, life changing education – of that one thing I have never been so certain.

It’s not a new school, it’s a fucking revolution.

-Martin Atkins

Thanks to John Harris founder of the Harris Institute in Toronto who inspired me with the words (or something like this) “On the first day of classes, the first class built the classroom”

Punk as Fuck!

Are you ready to take ownership of your artistic career?  Do you want to learn how to do things for yourself?  Do you really think you can handle three days with Martin Atkins without your brain exploding? Attend our Tour:Smart PLUS weekend to find out! Revolutionize the way you think about the business of your art.

After attending T:S PLUS you’ll be able to:

• screen print your own merchandise and promo material
• design simple graphics (logos, t-shirts, and postcards)
• write a bio other people will want to read
• engage your online community in tangible ways
• use audio and visual tools to market yourself and your stuff
• circuit bend and hack xboxes
• launch an actionable plan that you can do yourself!!

You’ll have lunch with speakers from our 7-11 panel which in the past as included Greg Kot (Chicago Tribune), Paul Natkin, Moldover, Jim Powers (Minty Fresh Records), and many more.

Early Bird registration is now open for $150!!  Space is limited to 25 people.  For more information, click here or register below.

The T:S Plus weekend is essentially our five week programmed crammed into 3 days. You’ll learn screenprinting, graphic design, video editing, social media basics, touring strategies, and more. PLUS, we’re hooking you up with an awesome welcome dinner at Reggie’s on Friday night, killer chinese food food and a home made organic lunch by Invisible Records very one studio engineer Steve!

Registration is $299…have a look for a discount code, our friends at OurStage.com and Musformation.com just might be able to hook you up.

Read more and register right here.

Thanks to our partners for making this event happen: Reggie’s, OurStage, Musformation, Smog Veil Records, and KnowTheMusicBiz

Here’s the way to do it. INSANITY!

The first one of these we did years ago I ended up taking a few people out to the pier on 35th street beach EARLY in the morning and having a cup of coffee as we chatted and looked at the amazing skyline. There are a BUNCH of lectures and workshops planned.  I will be around to throw additional stuff your way too. We can fuck around with a dub mix and my cool analog gear, chat about the punk days, the industrial days, the drinking days, whatever!  Although it’s been called a LOT of different things, it’d be great if it was “the weekend that my head exploded”, or “the weekend that I got it (or enough of it to make a difference for every week afterward)” or something like that.  But that’s way too wordy for a title – and, there might be some horrifying legal implications if this turned out to be the weekend that you got food poisoning or something………..I’m not guaranteeing that your head is going to blow off………but it’s something that we are going to TRY and achieve? ok?  That’s not a bad aspiration to have is it?